Inspiration Avenue's fun, easy crafts week

One of my favorite posts was on April Fool's Day this year.  I have rewritten it here so you, too, can try this fun, easy craft.  I've even added a few things that I learned over time.  I've made these shimmering mists three times, and even showed my friend Kathy how to make them when we had a play weekend recently.  And now I'm sharing it with you.

I was planning to show this post on Thursday, but didn't get around to writing it when my internet went out for nearly three days. I'm just thrilled I was able to get back online and can now share it with Nancy, this week's host, and all my friends at Inspiration Avenue.

Supplies you will need for the shimmering mists (from left to right):

*Small refillable sprayers that have been washed and cleaned
Luminart brand mica powders (the type that DOES NOT have a binder), the colors of your choice.
**Distilled water
***Elmer's Glue-All or any good PVA glue
Stick or spoon for placing powder in bottle

*A note about the refillable bottles.  I had some spray mists that I used, then cleaned them up after they were empty.  Later, I found some after-bath spray at the Dollar Tree (in US, where their slogan is "Everything's a Dollar")  that was in a package of two for $1.00.  I emptied the bath spray and used the bottles.  Much cheaper than going online to find these really pricy spray bottles.

**A note about distilled water.  Distilled water will last forever in these bottles, while tap water will cause the mists to get moldy over time.  Although I have shown this water in a container that originally held bottled water, I assure you, this is distilled.  If you plan to use the entire container immediately, you don't need distilled water.  However, if you plan to let this product sit for any length of time, distilled water is the way to go.

***A note about Elmer's glue.  Any good PVA glue will work, since many who live in areas other than the US don't have access to this glue.  If using Elmer's be sure you use the Glue-All because their "school-glue" brand is watered down.

Now that we have all the essentials out of the way, begin by pouring distilled water into each of the spray bottles.  Don't fill over 2/3 of the way.  You'll need air in the bottles so the liquid can be shaken each time they are used.

Add a bit of the glue.  Originally, I wasn't sure how much glue to add, because I had never made these mists before.  But I squeezed and counted to five (5) in each of the bottles.  As you can see, some of the glue has already started to settle in the bottom of the containers.  And it didn't matter what size bottles I used (some were larger than these shown in the photo, but none were smaller), I still counted to five (5) each time I added glue.

Now use a stick or small spoon to add some mica powder to the container.  I have seen where Tim Holtz made something similar with his product that has the binder in it.  He suggested using no more than a tiny amount, but I'm actually hoping to make a dent in this product, so I used anywhere from two to three times what he would have used.  Holtz also started with silver mica powder and added different color distress inks.  My mica powders were already colored and didn't need any colorant.

Talk about surprised.  The first time I made these, I was shocked because the powder in the container looks NOTHING like the color in the water!!  

Place the cap and mister on the container and shake, shake, shake.  Shake your booty oops, I mean container.  Keep shaking because it takes awhile for the mica powder and glue to assimilate into the distilled water. The nice thing about this is, once you've done all that shaking, the next time you use the container, which must be shaken each time you apply the product, all you need is a cursory shake or two.

I guess you can tell I was a bit shocked by how much the mica powder color changed once it was out of its original container. It also made it hard to replicate the same colors when I visited my friend.  I had failed to label the bottles, and tried to guess from the amount of mica powder that had been used.  So, the second time I made these, I mixed several colors together, thus creating a totally new look.  After all, I have LOTS of these mica powders I hope to turn into shimmering spray mists.

Next, it was time to test these misters.  And yes, it worked!  I was thrilled.  I hope you will try this, too.  I allowed these to dry awhile and sprayed a bit more.  I  didn't want to muddy the paper with too much water and spray mist.  I was also able to tell that I got enough binder in the mists, too.

 

Once dry, I ran my hand over the two pages and noted the mica spray stayed perfectly in place.  The savvy reader will note I have rotated the pages 90 degrees and sprayed again, filling in any white spots.

One of the nicest things was, my friend Kathy had purchased a LOT of spray mists and thought we were making the same old, same old.  However, we went outside to spray the mists onto card stock and she was shocked, after seeing the backgrounds shining in the sunlight, that they were so shimmery, unlike the products she had purchased in the past.

So now what? These papers are ready to use as backgrounds, cut into ATC or postcard sizes, or turned into tags.  You might even want to create a design using a mask or stencil with the mica sprays.  Of course, you can always use your imagination and make something special with your papers or your mists!  Think of the possibilities, such as old book pages, or ugly scrapbook paper you want to jazz up.

Thank you Inspiration Avenue for issuing this challenge.  I hope you enjoy this fun and easy way to make your own shimmering mists.  And please let me know if you try this project, too.